Interlinking of rivers can provide a solution to India's water challenges

While one part of India is ravaged by floods, the other parts of the country face acute water scarcity. Over 40 million hectares of India's land is prone to floods and river erosion, and close to 68 per cent of the country's cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts. Niti Aayog in its latest report warned that 21 cities will run out of groundwater by 2020, and 40 per cent of India's population will have no access to drinking water by 2030. So what is the solution? The answer lies in the interlinking of rivers. The Supreme Court had ordered in 2002 itself that all major rivers in the country should be interlinked so that the simultaneous floods and draught ravaging the country could be resolved once and for ever.